Improvement



2Sheets--Sheet1.

D. M. SPROGLE. Improvement in the Manufacture of Artificial-Stone.N0.130,952 jZ j Patented Aug. 27, 1872.

%%w@; m w a 4%, J Qwia/L 0 3% 2Sheets-She,et2. D. M. SPROGLE. HImprovement in the Manufacture of Artificiai-Stone. N0. 130,952.Patented Aug. 127M872,

i 2Z1 U E [2i i r EL H w e H 1 f e e w H H J E I e H ee H 4 Q fg/gzzgwgnI jiZiZflZJ W 44 1/ W flu {MA ing valves.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

DANIEL M. SPROGLE, OF ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE 0F ARTIFICIAL STONE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,952, dated August27, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .I, DANIEL M. SPROGLE, of Annapolis, in the county ofAnne Arundel and State of Maryland, have invented a new and lmprovedProcess for Treating Concrete; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification,in Which- Figure 1, Plate 1, is a perspective view of the apparatuscomplete. Fig. 2, Plate 1, is a section taken vertically andtransversely through the apparatus. Fig. 3, Plate 2, is a section takenvertically and longitudinally through the kiln. Fig. 4, Plate 2, is atop View of the apparatus with the cover removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-. sponding parts in theseveral figures.

Thisinventionrelates to improvements which are designed for curing orsolidifying cement, in the process of manufacturin g artificial stone,by subjecting it to the action of carbonic-acid gas ina close chamber-akiln-as will be hereinafter explained.

The following description of my invention will enable others skilled inthe art to understand it. p

In theaccompanyin g drawing, Fig. 1, I have represented an external viewof the furnace, the steam-generator, and the kiln. The kiln D is of arectangular form, and is composed of sills a, caps a, vertical studs 0,and rabbeted side, end, and top boards, which latter are received intogrooves in the frame pieces. A kiln constructed in this manner is verysubstantial, tight for all practical purposes, and may be readily takendown or put up, This kiln I shall not claim under this petition forLetters Patent, as it forms the subject of a separate applicationforLettersPatent,marked case B, and bearing even date with the filing ofthis. The molded objects are inclosed in the kiln D and subjected to theaction of carbonic-acid gas. This gas is generated in acharcoal-furnace, F, and conducted through a pipe, it, into the kiln.The furnace F is provided with a grate, f, a feed-opening, which isclosed by a tightly-fitting door, f, and also with draft-inlets, whichare provided with slid- In the upper part of the furnace F a boiler, G,is applied, which is designed for generating steam to be mixed with thecarbonic-acid gas on its way into the kiln.

The steam is conducted into the pipe h by means of a pipe, 1', so thatthe mixture of the gas and steam takes place in the pipe h outside ofthe kiln. By means of the vertical pipe I, which terminates above in afunnel, and which extends down nearly to thebottom of theboiler G theboiler is supplied with water and prevented from explosion. The cock gin the boiler indicates the height of water therein. The gas and steamenter a horizontal distributer, H, which is arranged inside of the kiln,and which is suitably perforated for discharging the gas and steam injets. Directly opposite the distributer H is a rose-nozzle, G, which isfinely perforated, and which communicates, by means of a pipe, eitherwith an elevated reservoir of water, or with a forcing-pump. The waterfrom the rose-nozzle will rapidly reduce the temperature of the gas andvapor so that they will be cold when they reach the cement beneath.

I am aware that steam and carbonic-acid gas have been used before myinvention in the manufacture of artificial stone, such being describedin J. L. Rowlands patent, November 9, 187 0; but 1 am not aware thatthey have ever been intimately mixed together before they were conductedinto the curing-kiln, as above described.

The steam issuing from the boiler and the carbonic-acid gas escapingfrom the furnace both enter a small pipe leading into another pipe,which is finely perforated, and arranged within the kiln. The twoproducts are thus brought intimately together, and the molecules ofwater readily absorb the carbonicacid gas, and are highly charged withit before entering the kiln-chamber. The mixture then issues into thischamber in the form of spray, when it is instantlycooled down by jets ofwater directed through it. In this way and by these means the wateryvapor is made to serve as a vehicle for conveying the gas into thesubstance of the concrete, said vapor being rapidly taken up by theabsorbing power of the concrete. ter and gas are introduced separatelyinto the kiln-chamber and there had to mix, a very imperfect mixturewould be the result, as the watery particles would descend more rapidlythan the gas and charge the concrete blocks It is obvious that if thewa-' artificial stone, of carbonic-acid gas and steam, when mixedtogether on their way from the generators into the curing-kiln,substantially as described.

2. The introduction of cool Water in spray into the kiln so as to cooldown the carbonicacid gas and vapor as they escape from the distributer,substantially as described.

DANIEL M. SPROGLE.

Witnesses J. N. CAMPBELL, R. T. CAMPBELL.

